Congregational 

Missions 

in  the 


Heavenly  Kingdom 


Judson  Smith 


URING  1 902  the  American  Board  had  twenty  missions  in  eleven  differ- 
ent countries.  The  work  of  these  missions  is  done  in  101  stations  and 
1 ,293  out-stations  by  544  foreign  missionaries  and  3,9 1 9 native  mission- 
aries. Religious  meetings  were  conducted  in  1,668  different  places. 
The  535  organized  churches  had  59,585  communicants,  of  which  5,902  were 
added  during  the  year  1 902.  The  average  attendance  at  the  services  of  the  missions 
was  over  88,000.  There  were  763  Sunday  schools  with  a membership  of  70,243, 
and  66,263  pupils  and  students  under  instruction  in  1 4 theological  schools,  1 1 4 
boarding  and  high  schools,  and  1 ,240  day  schools.  The  total  native  contributions 
were  $176,439. 


Minute  adopted  by  the  Prudential  Committee 
November  24,  1 903. 


The  Prudential  Committee  finds  that  the  estimates  received  from  the 
missions  for  the  year  1904  call  for  $140,000  more  than  the  appropriations 
for  the  previous  year.  The  best  interests  of  the  work  demand  such  an  in- 
crease both  for  the  needed  re-enforcement  of  the  missionaries  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  native  agency. 

But  while  our  present  financial  outlook  does  not  warrant  an  advance 
like  this  there  are  celtmn  items  in  these  estimates  amounting  to  $28,020  in 
excess  of  the  amount  appropriated  last  year  which  the  Committee  deem  well- 
nigh  imperative,  and  which,  if  granted,  will  save  from  disastrous  losses  other- 
wise inevitable.  Deeply  impressed  by  these  urgent  needs,  the  Committee 
states  them  clearly  to  the  churches  upon  which  must  rest  the  responsibility  as 
to  whether  the  special  work  referred  to  shall  be  abandoned  for  lack  of  this 
added  amount  of  $28,020.  Until  some  decisive  answer  is  received  from  the 
churches  or  individuals  as  to  their  purpose  to  meet  these  needs,  the  Commit- 
tee does  not  feel  warranted  in  increasing  the  appropriations  above  those  of  tte 
previous  year,  but  the  Committee  is  encouraged  to  hope  that  a generous  re- 
sponse will  be  made  to  this  statement.  The  response  should  be  made  quickly, 
that  serious  results  may  be  averted  and  our  missionary  service  made  much 
more  effective. 


The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions 

CONGREGATIONAL  HOUSE,  BOSTON 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/congregationalmiOOsmit 


MAKIVK  MKMORIAL  ARCH  AT  OREI5T1X,  OHIO 


Congregational  Supplement  to 

'Princely  Men  in  the  Heavenly  Kingdom” 
A Biographical  Mission  Study  Text-Book  on  China 
for  Young  People,  by  Harlan  P.  Beach 


Congregational  Missions 

in  the 

Heavenly  Kingdom 


BY 


REV.  JUDSON  SMITH,  D.D. 

Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions 


DEPARTMENT  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 

American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions 

CONGREGATIONAL  HOUSE,  BOSTON 
1904 


Congrcgafionaf  (^arfgrs  of  I9OO 


Rev.  Ernest  R.  Atwater 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  G.  Atwater 
Bertha  B.  Atwater 
Celia  B.  Atwater 
Ernestine  H.  Atwater 
Mary  S.  Atwater 
Miss  Susan  R.  Bird 
Rev.  Dwight  H.  Clapp 
Mrs.  Mary  J.  Clapp 
Rev.  Francis  W.  Davis 
Miss  Annie  A.  Gould 
Miss  Mary  S.  Morrill 

Miss  Mary  L.  Partridge 

♦ 

Rev.  Horace  T.  Pitkin 
Rev.  Charles  W.  Price 
Mrs.  Eva  J.  Price 
Florence  Price 
Rev.  George  L.  Williams 


PREFACE 


The  missionary  awakening  among  the 
students  of  North  America  has  been  charac- 
terized as  the  greatest  religious  movement  in 
the  nineteenth  century.  While  it  had  its 
beginnings  in  the  first  decade,  it  was  not 
until  the  last  three  decades  that  interest  be- 
came widespread,  commanding  the  attention 
of  the  entire  student  world.  Since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement 
for  Foreign  Missions  in  1886,  it  has  rendered 
invaluable  service  to  missionary  societies  and 
boards  by  raising  up  an  army  of  well-quali- 
fied candidates  for  missionary  appointment, 
over  two  thousand  of  whom  have  already 
sailed  to  foreign  fields.  Not  least  among  its 
benefits  conferred  upon  the  Church  of  Christ, 
however,  has  been  its  contribution  to  Christian 
literature  of  more  than  a score  of  text-books 
for  the  scientific  study  of  missions  and  an 
equally  notable  gift  to  the  churches  of  an  in- 
creasing number  of  able  and  devoted  students 
of  missions  capable  of  leading  the  large  arm}^ 
of  young  people  of  all  denominations  in  organ- 
ized missionary  effort,  to  hasten  by  prayer,  gift 
of  money  and  consecration  of  life  the  evangel- 
ization of  the  entire  non-Christian  world. 


Preface 


A similar  awakening  is  therefore  now 
appearing  among  young  people  in  general  in 
the  movement  for  the  study  of  missions  and  pro- 
motion of  systematic  and  proportionate  giving. 
Missionary  text-books  or  manuals  are  there- 
fore being  prepared  for  use  by  classes  or  so- 
cieties of  young  people  which  will  become  the 
foundation  of  this  educational  campaign. 

To  supplement  the  information  given  in  the 
text-books,  historical  sketches  of  Congrega- 
tional missions  will  be  issued  from  time  to  time. 
This  pamphlet  has  been  prepared,  therefore, 
not  only  to  complete  a series  of  studies  for 
young  people,  but  to  bring  to  the  attention  of 
all  the  remarkable  history  and  achievements 
of  men  and  women  sent  forth  to  China  by 
Congregational  churches,  and  supported  by 
the  prayers  and  gifts  of  Congregational 
church  members. 

The»  sketch  of  the  four  missions  of  the 
American  Board  in  China  is  sent  forth  with 
the  belief  that  a loyalty  to  missions  in  China, 
in  degree  comparable  to  the  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  of  the  thirteen  Congregational 
missionaries  and  their  five  children  martyred 
in  the  year  1900,  may  take  possession  of  every 
Congregational  young  man  and  woman  in  the 
churches. 


CONTENIS 


Congregational  Martyrs  of  1900 
Preface  ' . 

1, 1ST  OF  Illustrations  . 

Statistics  of  Chinese  Missions,  1902 
Chronology  of  Chinese  Missions 
Foochow  Mission  .... 
North  China  Mission 
Shansi  Mission  .... 
South  China  Mission 
Appendix,  containing  (Questions 


Pag’e 

4 

.s 

8 

9 

10 

1 1 
19 

• 31 

37 

• 43 


ILLUSTRAl'IONS 


Page 

Martyr  Memorial  Arch,  Oberlin,  Ohio,  Frontispiece 
Bridge  of  Ten  Thousand  Ages  . . ■.  .12 
Pastor  Ling,  Foochow  ......  14 

Foochow  City  Station  . . . Facing  page  15 

Girls’  College,  Foochow  . . u n 

Pagoda  Anchorage  Station  House  “ “ 19 

Village  with  Eighty-three  Christians  “ “ 21 

Tai-yuen-fu  Memorial  . . . “ “ 33 

Mission  Premises  at  Canton  . “ “ 37 

Presby'terian  Hospital  and  Church  “ “ 37 

Dr.  Hager’s  Helpers,  1903  . . n n 

American  Board  Teacher  . . . . .40 


STATISTICS  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  MISSIONS  IN  CHINA 


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MISSION 

Foochow 

North  China 

Shansi 

South  China 

CHRONOLOGY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  MIS- 
SIONS IN  CHINA,  SHOWING  STATIONS 
IN  EACH  MISSION  AND  DATES  OF 
OCCUPATION 


FOOCHOW  MISSION 

Stations  When  Established 

Ponasang 1S47 

Foochow  City 1850 

Shao-wu  .........  1S77 

Pagoda  Anchorage 1S90 

Inghok 1S9S 

NORTH  CHINA  MISSION 
Tientsin  .........  1S60 

Peking 1S62 

Kalgan  .........  1S65 

Tung-cho 1S67 

Pao-ting-fu  ........  1S73 

Pang-Chuang  ........  1S79 

Lin-Ching  ........  1887 

SHANSI  MISSION 

Taiku  .........  1SS3 

Fenchow-fu 1SS7 

SOUTH  CHINA  MISSION 

Hong  Kong 18S3 

Canton *§90 


I 


FOOCHOW  MISSION 

The  city  of  Foochow,  from  which  this  mis- 
sion takes  its  name,  is  the  principal  city  of  the 
province  of  Fuhkien,  and  more  attractive  than 
Chinese  cities  usually  are.  It  is  situated  on 
the  River  Min,  thirty  miles  from  the  sea,  in  a 
broad  and  fertile  valley,  surrounded  by  strik- 
ing mountain  ranges,  Ku  Shan,  the  highest 
peak,  rising  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above 
the  plain.  The  population  of  the  city  and  its  Location 
suburbs  is  estimated  at  a million  souls.  No  one 
can  form  a definite  idea  of  a million  objects  of 
any  kind.  But  a ride  in  a sedan  chair  from  the 
landing  on  the  river  through  the  subui'bs,  past 
the  shops,  among  the  crowded  streets,  and 
cross  the  river  on  the  “stone  bridge  of  ten 
thousand  ages,”  into  the  city  through  its  gate 
and  narrow,  winding  ways,  with  people  rush- 
ing, speaking,  peering  at  you — men,  women, 
children,  here,  there,  eveitywhere — makes  one 
feel  how  many  a million  are. 

The  two  oldest  stations  are  in  the  city  and 
in  the  suburbs,  with  two  other  stations  near 
at  hand,  on  the  river  and  on  its  affluents.  The 


Foochow  Mission 


I 2 

Church  Missionary  Society  of  England  and 
the  Methodist  Board  of  America  have  each  a 
Stations  mission  centering  in  this  city,  but  occupying 


BRIDGE  OF  TEX  THOUSAND  AGES 

entirely  distinct  fields  in  the  country  round 
about.  These  three  missions  live  and  work 
together  in  most  admirable  harmony.  The 
one  interior  station,  Shao-wu,  lies  250  miles 
northwest  of  Foochow  up  the  Min  River,  and 
occupies  a territory  200  miles  long  and  100 
miles  broad,  among  an  unusually  vigorous  and 
promising  people,  numbering  300,000,  where 
an  entirelv  different  dialect  is  spoken.  The 
journey  to  Inghok,  which  takes  two  days,  or 


Foochow  Mission  13 

that  to  Shao-wu,  which  takes  two  weeks,  is  an 
experience  never  to  be  forgotten.  You  set  out 
in  a house  boat,  with  half-a-dozen  Chinese  more 
or  less  to  guide  the  boat  and  look  after  your 
goods.  The  outlook  is  charming.  Hills  rise 
upon  hills  on  either  side  before  you,  enough 
in  five  miles  to  fit  out  an  entire  state  with  noble 
sceneiy,  and  all  is  fair.  But  soon  you  come 
to  rapids.  Your  boat  is  tossed  and  twisted 
from  side  to  side,  bumped  against  rocks, 
grounded  on  the  sand,  while  you  are  fortunate 
if  you  and  your  goods  are  not  tilted  into  the 
stream.  But  patience  and  perseverance  pre- 
vail, and  at  last  you  reach  your  destination, 
with  bruises  and  sprains,  but  with  a sense  of 
victory,  inspired  by  all  that  you  have  seen  and 
done  and  conquered. 

This  mission  was  opened  in  the  suburbs  of 
Foochow  in  1847,  by  Rev.  Stephen  Johnson 
and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  L.  B.  Peet.  The  expan- 
sion of  the  field,  the  increase  of  the  force,  the 
development  of  the  work  have  gone  on  steadily 
through  all  the  intervening  years,  until  to-day 
there  are  five  centers  of  missionary  residence 
occupied  by  thirty-six  men  and  women,  and 
more  than  a hundred  points  adjacent  where 
Christian  work  in  church  and  school  is  in 
progress.  Evangelistic  work  and  touring  have 
always  been  a prominent  part  in  the  missionary 
labors  of  this  field,  the  results  showing  how^ 


Methods  of 
Work  and 
Results 


14 


Foochow  Mission 


Three 
Generations 
of  Christians 


successfully  this  has  been  done.  There  are 
more  than  loo  churches  and  chapels,  with  a 
membership  of  3,082,  and  7,000  more  are  con- 
nected with  these  churches  as  regular  attend- 
ants on  worship  and  Sunday  school.  Eleven 
ordained  pastors  stand  at  the  head  of  the  na- 
tive laborers,  assisted 
by  1 50  other  natives  who 
preach  the  gospel. 

These,  with  100  Chris- 
tian teachers  in  mission 
schools,  help  to  widen 
the  reach  of  the  gospel, 
deepen  its  hold  and 
make  it  fruitful  in  hun- 
dreds of  homes.  Take, 
as  an  example.  Pastor 
Ding  of  Ponasang,  the 
first  native  ordained  in 
this  mission,  erect,  vigorous,  earnest,  a con- 
stant comfort  to  the  missionaries.  Two  sons 
of  his  are  in  the  ministry,  one  of  them,  a very 
handsome  man,  being  a teacher  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminaiy,  while  his  aged  mother  and 
his  wife  and  his  daughter  are  active  in  all  good 
work,  all  wholesome  to  see. 

Ten  years  ago  there  was  not  a self-support- 
ing church  in  the  mission.  Now  there  are 
eight,  and  these  churches  are  taking  substan- 
tially the  entire  direction  of  their  own  work. 


FOOCHOW  CITY  STATION 


QIKTS  COTLEGE,  FOOCHO\Y 


Foochow  Mission 


15 


which  indicates  a great  gain.  The  Christian 
Endeavor  Society  was  introduced  in  this  mis-  Churches 
sion  within  five  years  from  the  first  organization 
in  America  and  has  proved  of  gi'eat  service  to 
the  churches.  The  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  is  also  well  organized,  and  num- 
bers among  its  members  many  of  the  most 
promising  young  men  of  the  mission. 

The  various  mission  schools  form  the  second 
inost  important  kind  of  work  in  the  field,  and 
have  been  growing  rapidly  during  the  last 
decade  in  pupils  and  in  influence.  The  Theo- 
logical School  stands  at  the  head,  does  all  its 
work  in  the  Chinese  language,  and  sends  out 
six  or  seven  men  every  year,  all  graduates,  who 
are  in  great  demand.  The  best  of  them  can 
preach  more  effectively  than  any  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. Foochow  College  in  the  city,  with  Education 
one  hundred  and  fifty  boys,  and  the  College 
for  girls  at  Ponasang,  with  thirty  students,  are 
extremely  interesting  schools  to  visit.  The 
students  who  face  you  as  you  sit  in  the  chapels 
are  a picked  company,  bright,  alert,  eager, 
capable  boys  and  girls ; less  advanced,  to  be 
sure,  but  not  so  greatly  different  from  those  you 
will  find  at  Amherst  and  Wellesley.  Boarding 
schools  for  girls,  four  in  number,  prepare  their 
pupils  for  the  college  and  also  for  Christian  work 
in  their  own  homes.  A training  school  for  Bible 
women,  a flourishing  kindergarten,  women’s 


Foochow  Mission 


1 6 

classes  under  Bible  women,  and  ninety  day 
schools  scattered  all  over  the  field,  suggest  the 
variety  and  reach  of  the  educational  work  of 
the  mission. 

No  one  can  visit  any  of  these  schools  with- 
out seeing  how  powerful  a hold  they  give  to 
all  missionary  work  and  how  full  of  promise  are 
Influence  the  bright-eyed,  responsive,  energetic  boys 
of  Schools  girls  that  come  under  a Christian  teacher. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Min  River  is  a girls’ 
school,  whose  teacher  was  once  a Sharp  Peak 
hoodlum,  but  who  grew  into  refined  Christian 
womanhood  in  Miss  Newton’s  school  at  Pon- 
asang.  Who  can  ever  forget  how  those  girls 
hung  on  their  teacher’s  face  and-  words,  and 
admired  her,  and  saw  in  her  what  they  hoped 
one  day  to  be?  Who  can  think  lightly  of  its 
immediate  and  lasting  influence?  The  old 
couplet  puts  it  well, — 

“A  boy’s  will  is  the  wind’s  will, 

But  the  thoughts  of  youth  are  long,  long  thoughts.” 

Medical  work  is  one  of  the  most  impressive 
and  far-reaching  influences  connected  with  the 
missionary  work.  Relief  from  bodily  distress 
easily  opens  the  way  for  the  reception  of 
Medical  Christian  truth,  as  our  Lord’s  miracles  of 
healing  prepared  many  hearts  to  welcome  him 
and  his  divine  message.  This  mission  is 
unusually  well  equipped  in  hospitals  and  dis- 


Foochow  Mission 


T7 

pensaries,  medical  work  being  carried  on  at 
each  of  its  five  stations.  Thousands  of  men 
and  women  are  treated  in  each  of  them  every 
year.  The  gospel  is  taught  to  all  those  who 
come  for  help,  and  Christian  influence  in  this 
way  goes  to  many  a home  and  village  quite 
outside  the  native  preacher's  voice.  If  you  sit 
with  the  physician  in  his  clinic,  noting  those 
who  await  his  counsel,  marking  his  skill,  pa- 
tience and  the  wonderful  relief  experienced, 
and  consider  what  would  become  of  these  peo- 
ple if  he  were  not  there,  you  cannot  wonder 
that  his  teaching  has  authority,  or  his  personal 
influence  comforting  and  inspiring  power.  In 
some  of  the  hospitals,  classes  of  medical  stu- 
dents are  trained  and  made  ready  greatly  to 
broaden  the  reach  of  this  arm  of  the  service. 

The  outlook  for  the  work  of  this  mission  is 
of  the  most  hopeful  and  inspiring  sort.  Every 
field  is  open,  homes  are  accessible,  the  good 
will  of  the  people  is  already  won,  the  prelim- 
inary work  is  over,  and  everything  is  ready 
for  a widespread,  swift  and  resistless  advance. 
It  is  the  day  of  opportunity,  for  which  fifty-six 
years  have  been  preparing,  and  to  which 
every  motive  urges  the  workers  on.  A mis- 
sionary family  ought  this  very  day  to  be  on  its 
way  to  take  the  important  place  at  Shao-wu 
left  vacant  by  Mr.  Hinman’s  withdrawal  to  be 
the  Secretary  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Union 


Outlook 


i8 


Foochow  Mission 


in  China,  and  another  family  should  be  on 
the  ground  soon  to  relieve  Dr.  Walker,  at 
Shao-wu,  whose  strength  is  greatly  weakened. 
Two  single  women  are  needed  for  school  work 
at  Pagoda  Anchorage.  Most  of  all,  and  always, 
are  needed  the  prayers  of  all  Christians  that 
the  work  of  the  mission  may  be  blessed,  “ so 
that  he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  may 
rejoice  together.” 


t 

i 


I’ACODA  ANCHORAGE  STA'IION  HOUSE 


II 


NORTH  CHINA  MISSION 

North  China  since  i860  has  included  the 
provinces  of  Chihli,  Shantung,  Honan  and 
Shansi,  with  Manchuria.  Peking,  its  central 
city,  is  the  most  important  among  Chinese 
cities.  The  Manchus  made  it  their  capital  in 
1628.  It  stands  as  the  type  of  Manchu  bril- 
liance and  power,  whose  masterful  influence 
controls  the  eighteen  provinces.  No  Chinese  The  Field 
city  is  so  well  laid  out ; there  are  elsewhere 
no  such  splendid  monuments,  such  temples, 
palaces  or  public  buildings.  The  Confucian 
temple,  with  its  thirteen  classics  carved  in 
marble,  the  Buddhist  monasteries,  the  astro- 
nomical instruments,  the  vast  grounds  of  the 
temple,  give  uniqueness  and  beauty  scarce 
paralleled  among  Asiatic  cities.  A very  re- 
cent imperial  census  gives  Chihli  a population 
of  twenty  million,  and  Shantung  thirty-eight 
million.  Five  rivers  course  the  Chihli  plains, 
uniting  in  a flne  sea  river  at  Tientsin.  The 
Peiho  and  Grand  Canal  are  of  first  impor- 
tance. Shantung  boasts  of  and  mourns  over 
the  Yellow  River. 


20 


North  China  Mission 


Five  great  elementary  religions  control  Chi- 
nese life.  These  are  Confucianism,  official 
and  orthodox,  accepted  of  all ; Buddhism,  an 
exotic  from  India,  yet  supplementing  the  cold 
^atiye  formalities  of  the  state  religion  in  marriage  and 
Religions  p^rial  forms,  in  splendid  pagodas  and  temples, 
through  fears  and  hopes  of  the  soul;  Taoism, 
full  of  mysteries  and  superstitions,  fruitful 
source  of  hero  worship  and  semi-gods,  Li 
Hung  Chang  being  the  latest  canonized,  na- 
tive secret  cults  denying  the  realities  of  the 
gods,  and  vaguely  seeking  the  “ Great  True” 
invisible ; and  Mohammedanism,  with  its 
twenty  million  adherents. 

Despite  her  conservatism,  China  long  since 
entered  the  world  life  of  commerce,  diplomacy 
Signs  of  and  progress.  The  telegraph,  begun  in  i88i. 
Progress  every  province  by  its  two  thousand 

miles  of  wires.  The  first  railroad  of  seven 
miles  has  reached  widely,  connecting  Tientsin 
with  the  sea,  with  Peking  and  with  several 
other  important  places.  The  trunk  line  from 
Peking  to  Hankow  is  opened  for  two  hundred 
and  thirty  miles.  Several  other  lines,  includ- 
ing that  to  Siberia,  are  also  open. 

The  North  China  Mission  was  opened  in 
i860,  the  year  of  the  occupation  of  Peking  by 
the  Allies,  and  in  close  connection  with  those 
events.  Dr.  Blodget  entered  Tientsin  with  the 
Allied  army  and  followed  it  to  Peking,  seizing 


\ 


f' 


\ II,I.AGE  WITH  rilKEK  CHRISTIAN'S 


North  China  Mission 


21 


this  favorable  opportunity  to  gain  entrance  for 
the  gospel.  The  mission  had  occupied  five 
stations  in  the  first  thirteen  years,  selecting 
the  centers  of  work  with  wise  strategy : Organization 
Peking,  the  imperial  capital  in  1862  ; Tient- 
sin, the  Chicago  of  North  China,  in  i860 ; 

Kalgan,  the  health  resort  by  the  Great  Wall, 
in  1865  ; Tung-cho,  long  the  harbor  and 
granary  of  Peking,  in  1867  ; and  Pao-ting-fu, 
the  capital  of  the  province,  in  1873.  These 
are  the  chief  cities  of  the  North,  and  command 
the  whole  province  of  Chihli.  Two  stations 
were  chosen  later  in  the  neighboring  province 
of  Shantung,  Pang-Chuang  in  1879,  cen- 
ter of  famine  distribution  in  that  year,  and 
Lin-Ching  in  1886.  The  territory  covered  is  Territory 
five  hundred  miles  from  north  to  south,  and 
varies  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  miles  from 
east  to  west,  as  large  as  the  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  a population  not  far  from  thirty 
million  souls.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  other 
mission  of  the  Board  gives  access  to  so  vast 
a population  in  so  central  and  commanding 
a position.  No  one  who  has  not  traveled  in 
China  can  form  a just  conception  of  the  den- 
sity of  its  population  in  this  region.  The  cit- 
ies are  great  and  populous,  but  it  is  the  open 
country  which  astonishes  you.  Village  joins 
close  upon  village  as  you  go,  on  the  right,  on 
the  left,  each  with  from  two  thousand  to  twenty 


22 


North  China  Mission 


thousand  souls,  mile  upon  mile,  for  fifty  or 
a hundred  miles  at  a stretch,  till  the  wonder 
grows  how  they  live,  where  they  can  find  their 
food.  The  people  are  busy,  the  streets  are 
full  of  hurrying  men,  the  homes  are  thronged 
with  children  ; and  the  impression  of  a vast 
population,  beyond  all  computation,  grows 
upon  you,  and  you  are  bewildered. 

The  development  of  the  work  was  slow  but 
continuous  along  the  four  main  lines  of  mis- 
sionary effort,  preaching,  teaching,  translat- 
ing, and  medical  wmrk.  The  life  of  a busy 
Development  Station  like  Pang-Chuang  is  a wonderful  sight 
of  Work  jQ  witness.  There  is  the  Williams  Hospital, 
where  twenty-five  thousand  patients  are  treated 
every  year;  the  meeting  before  the  daily 
clinic  is  like  a regular  Sunday  service,  with  a 
full  and  attentive  audience.  The  scene  at  the 
clinic  is  most  impressive.  The  sense  of  need, 
of  suffering,  of  faith  and  hope  among  the 
patients  with  the  sense  of  capacity  and  helpful- 
ness and  sympathy  and  skill  in  the  physician 
and  his  attendants,  are  ever  present.  No  one 
can  be  an  hour  in  such  a place  and  not  be 
thrilled  with  gratitude  and  hope.  If  one  goes 
to  the  girls’  school,  where  forty  choice  girls 
are  gathered  under  the  missionary  teacher, 
it  is  possible  to  see  how  plastic  are  their  minds 
and  hearts,  what  soil  for  Christian  virtues 
and  good  thoughts  they  present,  how  wise 


North  China  Mission 


23 


and  patient  is  the  teacher,  and  how  powerful 
the  sceptre  she  wields.  Attend  a quarterly 
meeting  of  the  church  on  Sunday,  where  five 
hundred  men  and  women  gather  from  far  and 
near,  and  the  native  pastors  administer  the 
communion.  Note  the  quiet,  serious,  wor- 
shipful air,  the  earnest  and  forceful  speech  of 
these  pastors,  the  sincerity  of  prayer,  the  fer- 
vor of  song,  the  generous  gifts,  and  think 
what  it  all  means,  and  your  heart  grows  warm 
and  hopeful  and  confident.  This  means,  in 
due  time,  the  evangelization  of  all  this  great 
land.  To  attend  the  commencement  of  the 
North  China  College  is  an  experience  rare 
and  memorable.  The  students  in  the  chapel, 
sturdy,  serious,  dignified,  attractive,  are  a body 
of  picked  men ; the  president’s  address  is  sim- 
ple, practical,  high-toned ; the  students’  ora- 
tions are  thoughtful,  delivered  with  dignity, 
brim  full  of  patriotism,  eagerly  listened  to 
by  their  comrades ; the  choruses  are  ren- 
dered' by  the  boys  themselves  either  alone 
or  under  a foreign  leader,  who  astonish  you 
in  the  end  by  their  effective  rendering  in 
four  parts,  by  Chinese  voices  alone,  of  the 
Hallelujah  Chorus.  This  college  is  a foun- 
tain of  life  and  power.  It  is  doing  for  the 
mission  precisely  what  Yale  and  Amherst 
have  for  generations  been  doing  for  New 
England.  After  forty  years,  in  1900,  there 


Higher 

Education 


24 


North  China  Mission 


were  sixty  missionaries,  seven  native  pastors, 
120  preachers,  teachers  and  Bible  women, 
and  130  places  regularly  occupied  by  church 
or  school  or  both.  In  the  eight  churches 
there  were  2,500  members,  increasing  by 
about  270  each  year.  The  Theological 
Seminary  had  fifteen  students.  North  China 
College  seventy-five,  the  Bridgman  School 
eighty. 

Upon  this  work,  so  wisely  located  and  ad- 
ministered, so  deeply  rooted  and  fruitful,  the 
Boxer  Boxer  outbreak  fell  with  terrible  fury  and 
Outrage  destruction.  Its  first  distinct  appearance 

was  at  Pang-Chuang  and  Lin-Ching,  in  the 
province  of  Shantung,  early  in  the  year  1899. 
The  governor  of  that  province  at  that  time 
was  Yii  Hsien,  later  the  infamous  leader  of 
the  bloody  deeds  in  Shansi.  His  sympathy 
with  the  Boxers,  which  was  scarcely  veiled, 
gave  them  twofold  courage  and  strength.  The 
Empress  Dowager,  directly  or  indirectly,  fa- 
vored the  anti-foreign  outbreak ; and  it  was 
only  with  extreme  difficulty  and  long  delay 
that  the  foreign  embassies  at  Peking  succeeded 
in  securing  the  dismissal  of  Yti  Hsien  and 
the  appointment  of  Yuan  Shih  Kai,  and  the 
effective  suppression  of  the  Boxer  soldiery  in 
this  province  ; and  this  was  not  done  till  many 
villages  in  these  stations  had  been  looted, 
many  native  Christians  reduced  to  beggary, 


North  China  Mission 


25 


and  the  whole  region  terrorized.  Yuan  Shih 
Kai’s  strong  hand  forced  the  Boxers  out  of 
the  province  early  in  1900,  and  the  rising 
flood  moved  northward  into  the  fields  adjacent 
to  the  stations  of  Pao-ting-fu,  Tientsin,  Peking, 
and  Tung-cho.  There  the  excitement  spread, 
the  numbers  grew,  the  dangers  thickened 
through  the  spring  of  1900,  till  the  climax 
was  reached  in  June.  The  foreign  forces 
concentrated  in  Tientsin,  and  great  battles 
were  fought,  resulting  in  the  capture  of  the 
native  city,  the  destruction  of  its  walls  and  of 
many  of  its  buildings.  Meanwhile,  a detach- 
ment of  the  foreign  force  pressed  its  difficult 
march  to  Peking  to  raise  the  siege  under 
which  the  embassies  and  the  missionaries  had 
rested  within  the  city  from  June  20th.  On  Fall  of 
August  14th  the  Allies  captured  the  city,  drove 
the  government  to  flight,  and  set  up  foreign 
rule  for  the  time.  Prior  to  these  events  the 
Boxers  had  fallen  upon  Tung-cho  station  with 
fearful  violence,  putting  to  the  sword  more 
than  half  the  church  members,  and  driving 
from  their  villages  and  homes  many  others 
connected  with  them.  The  missionary  homes 
and  all  the  buildings  of  the  station  were  looted 
and  burned,  not  one  brick  upon  another  being 
left.  Most  of  those  who  fell  were  true  to 
their  faith  and  died  the  death  of  Christian 
martyrs,  to  the  astonishment  of  their  murder- 


26 


North  China  Mission 


ers  and  to  the  glory  of  God.  The  missionaries 
and  many  refugees  fled  to  Peking  and  endured 
the  long  and  fearful  siege  in  the  British 
embassy. 

The  Christians  in  Peking  and  in  the  out-sta- 
tions in  like  manner  were  either  driven  into 
hiding  or  were  openly  slain,  men,  women. 
Widespread  children,  with  loss  of  their  homes  and  all 
Desolation  their  possessions.  The  missionary  premises, 
including  houses,  press,  chapel  and  school, 
were  burned  to  the  ground  and  left  a smok- 
ing ruin.  Tlie  missionaries  took  refuge  in 
the  British  embassy,  and  bore  their  share  in 
that  perilous  siege.  The  fields  of  Kalgan, 
Tientsin,  and  Lin-Ching  were  also  deeply 
disturbed,  the  native  Christians  harried, 
driven  to  flight,  in  some  instances  put  to  the 
sword,  the  mission  premises  injured  or  par- 
tially burned  at  Tientsin,  and  sacked  and 
destroyed  at  the  other  stations.  Pao-ting-fu 
was  a center  of  disturbance  for  many  weeks. 
The  out-stations  were  visited  and  terrorized 
with  the  death  of  many  Christian  Chinese 
and  their  friends,  while  the  authorities  of  the 
city  were  overawed  and  silenced.  In  the 
height  of  the  madness,  before  any  relief  could 
come,  all  the  missionaries  on  this  station 
were  destroj'ed  by  fire  and  sword,  three  of 
them  beloved  members  of  our  own  mission. 
Pang-Chuang,  which  was  the  only  station 


North  China  Mission 


27 


effectually  guarded,  suffered  no  loss  through 
all  those  stormy  days.  Its  troubles  came 
earlier,  and  while  deeply  confusing  and  de- 
moralizing, involved  no  destruction  of  life. 

Such  a blow  as  this  and  other  missions 
in  this  province,  and  all  the  missions  in 
Shansi  suffered,  had  never  before  fallen  upon 
any  field  under  the  care  of  the  Board,  and  is 
exceedingly  rare  in  the  modern  history  of 
missions.  It  is  estimated  that  this  outbreak 
cost  the  lives  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
adult  Protestant  missionaries  and  fifty-three 
children ; of  thirty-five  Catholic  fathers  and 
nine  sisters.  The  destruction  of  propert}"  was 
equally  great.  Practically  all  the  mission  sta- 
tions north  of  the  Yellow  River,  with  homes, 
chapels,  hospitals,  schools,  and  other  build- 
ings of  every  description,  were  utterl}'  de- 
stroyed. 

As  an  example  of  the  spirit  and  heroism 
with  w^hich  the  Chinese  Christians,  pastors, 
people,  men,  women,  children,  met  the  chal- 
lenge of  death  or  the  denial  of  Christ,  let  the 
story  of  Pastor  Meng  of  Pao-ting-fu  suffice. 
He  was  at  Peking  when  the  Boxers  closed 
in  on  Pao-ting-fu  and  threatened  death  to 
every  Christian,  foreign  and  native  alike.  In- 
stantly he  resolved  to  return  to  guard  the  mis- 
sionaries there,  and  against  the  remonstrance 
of  all,  like  Regulus  of  old,  marched  to  Pao- 


Cost  in 
Lives 


A Native 
Martyr 


28 


North  China  Mission 


Reconstruc- 

tion 


ting-tu  amid  bristling  dangers,  and  stood  by 
the  side  of  Mr.  Pitkin,  Miss  Morrill,  and  Miss 
Gould  till  two  days  before  they  were  slain, 
when  he,  bis  wife,  and  all  but  one  of  his  five 
children  were  cruelly  put  to  death.  One  can- 
not forbear  to  ask  what  Cyprian,  the  martyr- 
bishop  of  Carthage  did,  that  Meng,  the  pastor 
at  Pao-ting-fu  did  not  do,  in  honor  of  his  Lord. 

As  soon  as  the  court  fled  from  Peking  and 
the  Boxer  storm  was  past,  the  work  of  recon- 
struction began  in  all  the  desolated  regions. 
Jiy  the  wise  and  energetic  efforts  of  Dr.  Ament 
the  refugees  of  the  Peking  out-stations  were 
promptly  restored  to  their  own  villages,  their 
homes  rebuilt,  and  their  losses  made  good. 
The  destruction  in  the  out-stations  of  Tung- 
cho  was  so  cruel  and  deep  that  the  refugees 
were  kept  with  the  missionaries  in  Peking 
many  months,  and  even  when  indemnities 
were  gained  for  all  their  losses,  many  of  them 
were  settled  in  new  homes  near  the  new  station 
by  the  city  wall.  Rebuilding  was  soon  begun 
on  the  enlarged  compounds  in  Peking,  Tnng- 
cho,  and  Pao-ting-fu ; Tientsin  and  Pang- 
Chuang  were  reoccupied,  Lin-Ching  joined 
to  Pang-Chuang,  and  Kalgan  treated  as  an 
out-station  for  the  time.  Missionary  work  in  all 
its  usual  forms  was  renewed  in  all  the  stations. 
Already  the  volume  of  activities  has  reached 
the  dimensions  of  four  years  ago,  while  in 


North  China  Mission 


29 


some  instances  it  has  gone  beyond  that  limit. 
The  opportunity  for  reaching  the  Chinese  and 
winning  them  to  the  Christian  life  is  vastly  en- 
hanced, and  far  outruns  the  capacity  of  the 
force  now  in  the  field.  New  missionary  fami- 
lies are  urgently  called  for,  and  enlarged  means 
to  meet  the  immediately  urgent  needs  of  the 
woi'k  already  in  hand. 

The  court  in  due  time  returned  to  Peking, 
and  while  not  reformed  or  essentially  changed 
in  spirit,  it  has  thus  far  maintained  an  outwardly 
friendly  attitude  toward  all  foreigners.  Mis- 
sionaries everywhere  are  treated  with  great 
deference,  their  work  is  unhindered  so  far  as 
public  interference  is  concerned,  Western 
learning  is  welcomed,  education  in  some 
forms  fostered,  and  the  times  are  favorable  for 
an  immediate  and  great  advance  in  the  diffu- 
sion of  Christianity  among  the  people  of  the 
land.  It  is  the  time  to  pour  in  men  and  money 
with  generous  hand,  to  build  on  the  old  foun- 
dations, to  seize  the  new  opportunities,  and  so 
possess  the  land  and  the  people’s  minds  that 
no  attempted  repetition  of  the  outbreak  can  be 
successfully  made,  and  that  the  evangelization 
of  the  land  may  be  hastened  apace. 


Outlook 


Ill 


SHANSI  MISSION 

The  province  of  Shansi  lies  west  of  the 
province  of  Chihli  in  which  Peking  is  located, 
and  is  separated  from  it  by  high  mountain 
ranges.  The  Yellow  River  is  the  boundary 
line  on  the  west,  Mongolia  on  the  north,  and  Province  of 
Honan  on  the  south.  There  are  several  fer- 
tile  plains  in  the  central  portion,  of  which  the 
Tai-yuen-fu  plain  is  the  largest.  It  has  an  area 
of  two  thousand  square  miles,  and  is  three 
thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  Innumerable 
walled  villages,  market  towns  and  hamlets, 
besides  eleven  large  cities  and  the  capital, 
Tai-yuen-fu,  dot  the  plain.  One  of  the  moun- 
tain peaks  west  of  the  plain  is  pointed  out  as 
the  Ararat  of  China,  and  is  called  Ken  Tsu 
Shan  (mountain  of  the  ancestors  of  man). 

The  story  is  told  that  when  the  whole  race 
was  destroyed  by  a flood,  two  persons  saved 
their  lives  by  jumping  on  the  backs  of  two 
lions,  which  carried  them  to  the  topmost  ledge 
of  the  mountain.  These  two  afterward  be- 
came the  parents  of  the  whole  human  race. 

Shansi  may  be  considered  the  cradle  of  the 


Shansi  Mission 


32 

Chinese  nation.  The  origin  of  the  race  is 
shrouded  in  obscurity,  yet  the  first  records 
represent  it  as  a band  of  emigrants  from  the 
Northeast,  which  settled  in  the  fertile  plains 
of  Shansi  and  Honan.  Near  the  city  of  Ping- 
yang-fu  lived  and  ruled  the  famous  emperors, 
Yao  Shuen  and  Yii  (2356-2196  B.  C.).  A 
few  miles  from  the  city  was  a large  temple, 
the  remains  of  which  could  be  seen  a few 
years  ago. 

The  people  of  Shansi  are  noted  for  their 
intelligence  and  enterprise  and  commercial 
People  thrift.  Ping  Yao  and  Taiku,  two  of  its  cities, 
are  the  chief  banking  centers  in  all  the  region. 
Shansi  men  are  widely  scattered  through  the 
empire  as  traders  and  bankers,  and  they  are 
found  as  cashiers  in  the  banks  of  Japan. 

The  origin  of  the  Shansi  Mission  was  in  the 
China  Band,  formed  in  Oberlin  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  year  1879-1880,  in  the  classes 
then  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Judson 
Smith,  then  professor  of  church  history,  now 
Origin  of  the  Yov&xgn  Secretary  of  the  American  Board. 

Mission  students,  twelve  or  more  in  number, 

called  on  their  teacher  and  asked  him  to  go 
with  them  and  establish  a mission  in  China, 
as  groups  of  mediaeval  monks  under  their  ab- 
bot had  often  planted  Christianity  in  new  cen- 
ters in  Europe.  Out  of  this  grew  the  band, 
and  later  the  Shansi  Mission  of  the  Board. 


>,  -v. 


■ 


y 


I 


'Vv  ' ' 


TAI-YIFEN-FU  MEMOKIAI. 


Shansi  Mission 


33 


Rev.  Martin  L.  Stimson  and  Mrs.  Stimson,  of 
Oberlin,  were  the  pioneers,  going  out  in  i88i. 

They  were  joined  the  next  year  by  Messrs. 

Atwood,  Tenney,  and  Cady,  all  of  Oberlin 
and  members  of  the  band.  Still  others  fol- 
lowed, until  eighteen  years  later,  at  the  time  of 
the  Boxer  outbreak,  the  force  numbered  sixteen. 

With  the  counsel  and  aid  of  the  North  China 
Mission  the  province  of  Shansi  was  chosen  as 
the  seat  of  the  mission,  and  the  capital  city, 
Tai-yuen-fu,  was  made  the  first  station.  At  a Stations 
later  date,  after  consultation  with  other  mis- 
sions in  the  province,  and  in  the  spirit  of  mis- 
sionary comity,  the  seat  of  the  mission  was 
changed  to  Taiku  and  a second  station  was 
opened  at  Fenchow-fu.  Each  was  a populous 
city  of  four  hundred  thousand  souls,  and  the 
district  in  which  each  stands  had  more  than  a 
million  souls. 

_ The  work  of  the  mission  followed  the  cus- 
tomary lines,  except  that  unusual  attention  was 
given  to  education,  and  to  the  opening  and 
management  of  opium  refuges.  The  people  progress  of 
of  Shansi  are  peculiarly  addicted  to  the  use  of  t/ie  Mission 
opium,  and  these  refuges  seemed  an  essential 
part  of  the  means  of  reaching  them  with  the 
gospel.  After  the  first  difficulties  were  over- 
come good  progress  was  made,  churches  or- 
ganized, schools  opened,  the  confidence  of  the 
people  won,  and  the  foundations  of  a strong 


34 


Shansi  Mission 


and  successful  mission  firmly  laid.  In  1900 
there  were  two  stations,  eleven  places  of  stated 
preaching,  eight  native  preachers,  and  ten 
other  native  workers,  two  churches  with  171 
members,  no  in  Sunday  schools,  eighty-six 
under  instruction,  forty-tive  of  them  in  the 
academy,  and  sixteen  in  the  girls’  boarding 
school.  The  native  contributions  amounted 
to  $634.  The  mission  was  well  planted  in  a 
broad  and  promising  field,  and  its  work  was 
already  fruitful  in  a goodly  degree. 

Upon  this  mission  and  all  its  work  in  the 
summer  of  1900  the  hand  of  violence  under 
Martyred  the  lead  of  the  infamous  governor,  Yii  Hsien, 
M/ss/onaries  suddenly  laid.  At  the  end  of  July  the 

missionaries  at  Taiku,  three  men  and  three 
women,  were  put  to  the  sword  amid  the  smok- 
ing ruins  of  their  homes.  In  the  middle  of 
August  the  band  at  Fenchow-fu,  two  men  and 
two  women  and  five  children,  were  marched 
out  to  their  death,  and  their  homes  confiscated. 
A noble  monument  to  these  martyrs  and  those 
who  fell  at  Pao-ting-fu  has  within  the  year 
been  erected  on  the  college  campus  at  Oberlin, 
trodden  by  so  many  of  them  in  their  student 
days,  and  publicly  dedicated  to  their  lasting 
memory.  (See  frontispiece.) 

The  native  Christians  and  their  leaders  also 
perished  in  great  numbers  and  with  a like  noble 
devotion  to  their  faith.  One  of  the  first  patients 


Shansi  Mission 


35 


in  Dr.  Atwood’s  opium  refuge  was  a man  who 
afterward  taught  in  the  boys’  school.  After  be-  Apostolic 
ing  soundly  converted,  he  entered  heartily  into 
all  Christian  work,  and  became  a very  Paul 
among  his  people.  When  the  Boxers  came 
he  was  among  the  first  to  be  taken,  and  be- 
fore his  accusers,  under  the  cruel  knife  like 
Cyprian  at  Carthage  and  Polycarp  at  Smyrna, 

“ witnessed  a good  confession,”  and  kindled  a 
light  in  Shansi  that  will  shine  till  time  be  no  more. 

The  mission  lay  prostrate  and  bleeding  for 
more  than  a year ; then,  with  official  apology 
and  restitution,  amid  popular  rejoicing,  the 
one  surviving  missionary  returned,  gathered  Reopening 
the  precious  remains  of  associates  and  gave  Outlook 
them  public  and  honorable  burial,  received 
solemn  pledges  of  protection  to  the  work  from 
officials,  and  began  to  rally  and  comfort  the 
remnant  whom  fire  and  sword  had  left.  The 
mission  force  was  so  depleted  that  it  has  not  yet 
been  possible  to  re-establish  residence  in  the 
field,  but  frequent  visits  are  made  from  Pao- 
ting-fu,  what  remains  of  the  two  churches  have 
resumed  worship,  and  schools  are  in  progress. 

The  field  is  open,  safety  is  assured,  and  a 
great  opportunity  lies  before  the  mission. 

Happily  two  new  families  have  just  been  ap- 
pointed to  this  field,  and  the  voice  of  the 
gospel,  silenced  these  three  years,  will  soon 
be  heard,  and  the  work,  consecrated  by  martyr 
blood,  be  fully  resumed. 


I 


MISSION  PREMISES  AT  CANTON 
(on  the  right) 

PRESRYTERIAN  IIOSPITAE  AND  CHURCH 
(on  the  left) 


PR.  HAGER’ S HELPERS  IX  THE  SOUTH  CHINA 
MISSION,  1903 


IV 


SOUTH  CHINA  MISSION 

The  South  China  Mission  was  organized  in 
1883  for  the  purpose  of  connecting  Christian 
work  in  behalf  of  Chinese  in  this  country  with  Origin  and 
missionary  work  in  Southern  China.  Many 
of  these  people  having  become  true  and 
earnest  Christians  here,  on  returning  to  their 
homes  needed  counsel  and  help  in  maintain- 
ing their  Christian  life.  At  the  same  time  they 
were  capable  of  aiding  in  the  evangelization 
of  their  own  people.  The  Chinese  in  this 
country,  almost  to  a man,  come  from  certain 
districts  in  the  province  of  Kwangtung,  of 
which  Canton,  on  the  River  Pearl,  ninety 
miles  from  Hong  Kong,  is  the  capital.  They 
all  pass  through  Hong  Kong,  the  great  sea- 
port of  Southern  China,  and  can  easily  be  met 
and  followed  to  their  homes  and  kept  within 
view. 

Rev.  Charles  R.  Hager,  a graduate  of 
Pacific  Theological  Seminary  and  a worker 
among  the  Chinese  in  and  around  San  Fran-  ^ersonwe/ 
cisco,  was  the  first  missionary  appointed  to 
this  work,  and  from  1883  to  1890  was  the 


38 


South  China  Mission 


only  missionary  on  the  field.  He  made  Hong 
Kong  the  center  of  his  work,  kept  in  close 
touch  with  the  Christian  Chinese  returning 
home  from  this  country,  and  gradually  de- 
veloped a regular  missionary  work  in  the 
country  districts  to  which  they  belonged.  Rev. 
C.  A.  Nelson  joined  the  mission  in  1893,  and 
is  there  to-day.  Two  single  women  spent  a 
few  years  in  this  field,  and  an  interesting 
girls’  school  was  opened  under  their  care. 
To-day  the  mission  consists  of  Rev.  C.  R. 
Hager,  M.D.,Mrs.  Hager,  Rev.  C.  A.  Nelson 
and  Mrs.  Nelson. 

Dr.  Hager  resides  in  Hong  Kong,  super- 
intending the  work  in  that  city  and  in  twenty- 
seven  out-stations  in  country  districts  that  lie 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  to  the  south  and  west  of  Hong 
Stations  Kong.  He  has  been  able  to  erect  in  Hong 
Kong  a large  building  for  mission  purposes  at 
a cost  of  several  thousand  dollars,  without 
any  financial  aid  from  the  Board,  mainly  by 
gifts  from  the  Chinese  and  their  friends  in 
Hong  Kong.  Here  are  domiciled  the  mis- 
sionary family,  the  mission  church  of  the  city, 
and  the  schools  under  Dr.  Hager’s  care.  Mr. 
Nelson  resides  in  Canton,  on  premises  pro- 
vided by  the  Board,  including  residences  for 
the  missionaries  and  a building  for  the  girls’ 
boarding  school.  The  compound  is  near  the 


South  China  Mission 


39 


great  city,  convenient  to  the  centers  of  mis- 
sionary work,  and  yet  outside  the  city  walls 
and  in  a healthful  and  attractive'  situation. 

Mr.  Nelson  superintends  the  missionary  work 
in  Canton  and  on  two  out- stations,  and  is 
charged  with  the  development  of  a school  for 
training  preachers  and  teachers. 

The  field  occupied  by  these  men  belonged 
to  the  first  mission  established  by  tbe  Board  in 
China  in  1830.  Various  causes  led  to  the 
transfer  of  the  work  here  to  the  Presbyterian  Previous 
Board,  our  mission  force  going  northward  to  Occupation 
Shanghai  and  at  length  to  Peking.  The  re- 
turn of  the  Board  for  the  work  committed  to 
Dr.  Hager  and  his  associates  was  warmly 
welcomed  by  all  the  other  societies  interested, 
and  there  are  the  most  cordial  relations  be- 
tween our  laborers  and  the  members  of  all 
other  missions.  The  long  cultivation  of  this 
field,  from  the  days  of  Robert  Morrison  to  the 
present  time,  has  prepared  the  way  for  an  un- 
usually abundant  harvest  in  these  later  days. 

The  word  of  our  Lord  is  notably  fulfilled  : “I 
sent  you  to  reap  that  whereon  ye  bestowed  no 
labor ; other  men  labored  and  ye  are  entered 
into  their  labor.” 

The  method  of  developing  the  evangelistic 
work  is  very  simple  and  effective.  The  peo- 
ple in  a village  not  far  from  one  of  the  out- 
stations  hear  what  is  going  on  ; some  of  them 


40 


South  China  Mission 


Methods  of 
Work 


Results 


visit  the  village  and  become  interested ; the 
missionary  visits  the  place,  holds  meetings, 
and  presently  a site  is  secured  for  regular 
Sunday  services,  the  people  themselves  meet- 
ing a part  or  all  of 
the  cost ; the  best  man 
available  is  put  in 
charge,  and  a new  out- 
station  is  secured.  Or 
Christian  Chinese  from 
this  country  form  a nu- 
cleus in  a new  place, 
begin  religious  ser- 
vices, solicit  a visit 
from  the  missionary, 
rent  or  build  a chapel, 
and  fix  a new  center. 

Or  the  missionary 
visits  a place  to  see  what  can  be  done,  is 
sometimes  welcomed,  quite  as  often  rebuffed, 
perhaps  driven  out ; but  at  a later  day  finds 
an  entrance,  gathers  a constituency,  and  this 
place  is  added  to  the  list  of  villages  occupied. 

The  growth  of  this  evangelistic  work  has 
been  more  and  more  rapid  from  year  to  year, 
the  limit  being  fixed  rather  by  the  strength  of 
the  missionary  and  the  resources  at  his  com- 
mand than  by  the  possibilities  of  the  field.  In 
1895,  when  the  mission  had  been  established 
twelve  years,  there  were  seven  stations  and 


AMERICAN  BOARD 
TEACHER 


South  China  Mission 


41 


seven  preachers,  118  church  members,  forty 
additions  for  the  year,  and  native  gifts  $9.16; 
in  1902,  seven  years  later,  there  were  twenty- 
seven  stations  and  twenty-three  preachers, 

1,429  church  members,  496  additions  for  the 
year,  and  native  gifts  $5,200,  a very  unusual 
increase. 

The  Board  is  able  to  appropriate  only  $1,000 
a year  for  the  regular  work  of  the  mission, 
aside  from  missionary  salaries,  while  three  or 
four  times  that  sum  seems  indispensable  to  Outlook 
keep  pace  with  the  growing  work.  Were  it 
not  that  special  gifts,  generous  in  amount, 
come  in  from  Christian  Chinese  in  this  land, 
the  work  would  suffer  at  every  point. 


APPENDIX. 


QUESTIONS  ON  THE  TEXT. 

I. — FOOCHOW  MISSION. 

1.  Describe  the  location  of  Foochow. 

2.  Point  out  on  the  map  the  stations  of  this  Mission 

and  indicate  distances. 

3.  What  method  of  travel  is  used  in  this  region  ? 

4.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  Mission  opened.? 

5.  What  classes  of  native  laborers  are  employed,  and 

how  many  are  there  of  each  ? 

6.  How  many  of  the  churches  are  self-supporting.? 

7.  In  what  year  was  the  first  Christian  Endeavor  Society 

organized  in  the  Mission  .? 

8.  Name  the  three  largest  educational  institutions  of 

the  Mission. 

9.  What  other  schools  are  taught  and  superintended.? 

10.  At  how  many  points  is  medical  work  done,  and  with 

what  evident  results.? 

11.  What  is  the  outlook  for  future  missionary  work  in 

the  Mission  ? 

12.  Point  out  on  the  map  the  place  where  Mr.  Walker 

resides,  and  where  one  of  the  two  new  missionary 
families  is  needed. 

II. — NORTH  CHINA  MISSION. 

1.  Describe  the  field  of  the  North  China  Mission. 

2.  What  are  the  five  great  Chinese  religions.? 

3.  Mention  several  indications  that  Western  civilization 

is  being  impressed  upon  China. 

4.  Name  and  locate  on  the  map,  in  order  of  occupation, 

the  stations  of  the  North  China  Mission,  and 
characterize  these  cities. 


Appendix 


5.  Give  the  area  and  population  of  the  district  of  the 

North  China  Mission. 

6.  Summarize  the  achievements  in  the  Mission  after 

forty  years. 

7.  What  political  events  preceded  the  massacres  of  1900 

in  North  China? 

8.  In  what  cities  and  towns  did  Congregational  mis- 

sions suffer  violence,  and  how? 

9.  When  was  Peking  taken  by  the  Allied  Army? 

10.  Give  the  facts  about  loss  of  life  and  property  in  North 

China. 

11.  Describe  Pastor  Meng’s  heroic  action  and  death. 

12.  To  what  extent  has  the  Mission  recovered  its  former 

power  and  equipment? 

13.  Characterize  the  present  attitude  of  Chinese  toward 

missionaries. 

III. SHANSI. 

1.  Bound  the  province  of  Shansi. 

2.  What  is  the  Chinese  legend  regarding  the  origin  of 

the  human  race  ? 

3.  Give  the  names  of  two  of  China’s  earliest  emperors, 

and  locate  on  the  map  the  city  in  which  they  lived. 

4.  Characterize  the  people  of  the  Shansi  province. 

5.  Describe  the  unique  method  of  founding  this  Mis- 

sion. 

6.  Name  and  locate  the  station  first  opened  and  the  two 

finally  occupied. 

7.  Summarize  the  achievements  of  this  Mission  in  1900. 

8.  Mow  many  Congregational  missionaries  were  killed 

in  the  Shansi  province? 

9.  To  what  degree  has  the  Mission  recovered  its  former 

strength  ? 

IV. — SOUTH  CHINA. 

1.  When  and  why  was  the  Mission  in  South  China  or- 

ganized ? 

2.  Locate  on  the  map  the  section  of  the  empire  from 

which  the  Chinese  in  America  come. 


Appendix 


3.  What  two  stations  have  been  established? 

4.  Describe  the  equipment  of  these  stations  and  the 

territory  influenced  by  them. 

5.  Relate  the  first  date  of  Congregational  missions  in 

China  to  the  life  and  work  of  China’s  first  Protes- 
tant missionary. 

6.  Indicate  the  methods  of  missionary  work  employed 

in  South  China. 

7.  Compare  the  results  of  Christian  work  in  the  field  in 

1895  with  those  of  1902. 


(Recmt  ^u6Cication0  of  American  (goarb 
^uxtM^  fov  ^oun^  ^eojjCo. 


PRINCELY  MEN  IN  THE  HEAVENLY  KINGDOM:  a biographical  mission  study 
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